


Vision

by skiggss



Series: dream smp oneshots [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skiggss/pseuds/skiggss
Summary: Karl takes a deep breath as he steps off the platform and onto the black obsidian. He flinches at the sound of it retracting, then the sound of lava flowing down. If he was hot before, he was flaming now.His hands tremble as he stares at the netherite barrier between him and the prisoner. It drops suddenly, Karl winces at the loud sound.Karl looks over Dream’s current state. He doesn’t look too good, at least worse than the last time Karl saw him. His hair is longer and unkempt, he has more stubble than usual lining his jaw and upper lip. The scars that litter his face only add to the scruffy appearance.There’s four beats of silence shared between both males.“Karl,” Dream’s voice is quiet. The tone sends chills down Karl’s spine. “I didn’t expect you of all people to visit me.”
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Karl Jacobs
Series: dream smp oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177643
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	Vision

The sound of boots and sneakers ricochet off the bare blackstone walls. Karl stares at his purple shoes, making sure to put one foot in front of the other. Sam has a firm hand pressing against his back, forcing him forward. Karl spares a glance at him, shivering at the cold stare he holds. 

He knows this is serious, it’s just unsettling seeing him so… _emotionless._  


“Uh,” Karl clears his throat, eyes darting back to his feet. “How’s… how’s life?” 

Sam doesn’t respond. He continues pushing Karl forward. The brunet chews his lip and nods to himself, accepting that Sam doesn’t want to chat. 

They walk down the hall together in silence. Karl can feel sweat building on his brows and hairline from just how hot the prison is. He lifts a hand to wipe the sweat away, not missing the glare Sam sends him and the way he stiffens as if Karl were about to attack him. 

“Jeez, it’s hot in here,” Karl comments, “ever consider getting an A/C?” 

Sam only grunts in response, stopping the two of them at another checkpoint. He opens the door with his keycard, watching Karl closely as he steps in first. The door locks behind the pair. Karl takes in the small area; the levers on the walls, the blue light platform.

“I’m gonna need you to stand there, Karl,” Sam points to said platform and watches as Karl hesitantly stands on it. Sam walks forward, unsheathing his netherite sword. Karl’s eyes go wide.

“Wait, wait, Sam, I-”

“I’m just subjecting you to a physical examination,” Sam informs as he motions for Karl to lift his arms into a T-pose. 

“This is weird,” Karl says as he flinches at a particularly harsh poke from Sam. Karl gulps as Sam taps and slides the sword down his sides, a little too carelessly in Karl’s opinion. 

“Alright,” Sam nods curtly after one last rough prod. Karl winces slightly, stepping down from the platform. He opens another passageway, “you can continue this way to the main cell. Please stand on the shroomlight for me.”

“Shrooms, you say?” Karl jokes and does as said, gasping as a splash potion of water breathing is poured onto him. Sam sheaths his sword and moves his hand to point at the water pathway to Karl’s left. The curly haired male puffs out his cheeks before diving into the waterway. 

His body is flushed with uncomfortably warm water, pushing him to the other side. It felt odd to Karl not having to cough as he came out to the other side. Sam appears at the other side as well, pointing to one corner of the room for Karl to go to. He obliges, frowning as a small blackstone barrier traps him in.

“I’m going to close the water passage,” Sam explains as he does. A few seconds go by before the barrier drops. “Alright, go to those lecterns and read those out to me.”

Karl walks over to the furthest left lectern and takes a deep breath, clearing his throat, “In the event of security protocol taking place while I am within the bounds of the maximum security cell, I hereby acknowledge that I could potentially be locked within the cell—woah—for up to 7 days—7 days?! Sam, that’s absurd!—”

“—It’s a security measure, Karl—”

“—or until the security issue is resolved. Signed…” Karl sticks out his tongue as he writes his name down. “...Karl Jacobs.” 

“Next one.”

Karl nods and opens the other book on the lectern beside the one he’s currently at, “In the event that a prisoner is to escape—oh, come on, do you really think I’d help Dream escape?” 

“Keep reading.” Sam barks sternly, causing Karl to frown.

“...during my visit, or after my visit because of my actions—once again, would never happen—I hereby give permission for any individual to hunt me down and kill me...until I am completely dead…” Karl shivers. Not exactly something he’d want on his head. He quickly signs his name and hands the books over to Sam. 

“Stand in this room right here,” Sam instructs, nodding in the direction. Karl slowly makes his way over, shifting his weight uncomfortably. Is it too late to turn back now? 

_I suppose not,_ Karl thinks as a potion of fire resistance is dumped onto him. 

“Go on here,” Sam motions for the two yellow blocks just in front of the lava. Karl steps onto it, wincing at the gross feeling beneath his sneakers. The heat from the lava would be unbearable if he wasn’t doused in fire resistance. “Make sure you don’t fall off or you’ll die.”

“Got it,” Karl gave two thumbs ups, not bothering to look back at Sam. He tries not to wobble as the blocks carry him through the lava, a weird cold sensation coming over his body. His eyes are squeezed shut until the moving stops, where he immediately steps into water so he doesn’t burn to death. 

“Oh my,” Karl gawks at yet another flow of lava before him, “is this the last one?”

“Yes.”

Karl hums in acknowledgment. Sam stays silent for a moment before speaking up, “I’m going to drain the lava. Stand here,” he nods to the stone platform, “and don’t move.”

Karl picks at his fingers anxiously. The heat is too much. Sweat drips down his face, he doesn’t even bother wiping it anymore. His throat is parched, leaving an uncomfortable scratchy film to it. A long five minutes pass.

“Walk with the platform, and good luck,” Sam says after the lava has fully drained. Karl doesn’t question what he means by that. He walks with the platform, as he was told to. He doesn’t look down—he’d probably piss himself if he did. 

Karl takes a deep breath as he steps off the platform and onto the black obsidian. He flinches at the sound of it retracting, then the sound of lava flowing down. If he was hot before, he was flaming now. 

His hands tremble as he stares at the netherite barrier between him and the prisoner. It drops suddenly, Karl winces at the loud sound. 

Karl looks over Dream’s current state. He doesn’t look too good, at least worse than the last time Karl saw him. His hair is longer and unkempt, he has more stubble than usual lining his jaw and upper lip. The scars that litter his face only add to the scruffy appearance. 

There’s four beats of silence shared between both males. 

“Karl,” Dream’s voice is quiet. The tone sends chills down Karl’s spine. “I didn’t expect you of all people to visit me.” 

Karl doesn’t respond. He doesn’t know what to say. He avoids Dream’s gaze, taking in his pitiful cell instead. The chest in his corner is overflowed with books, some haphazardly thrown in there. Karl can only imagine all of the ripped and folded pages. 

His lectern is slightly burned, from what Karl doesn’t know. Judging from the crying obsidian securely placed around his cell, Karl can assume he tried to portal his way out. 

_Pretty dumb,_ Karl thinks to himself, _though it might’ve been his only way out._

His clock is off the wall and instead in Dream’s hand. Karl watches as he runs his thumb over it, a glint of happiness in his dull green eyes. Karl furrows his brows in confusion when Dream exhales a tiny _‘yes!’_ once it gets to exactly midday. 

They make eye contact again. Karl gulps.

“Why are you here?” Dream asks, all happiness void in his voice. Karl hesitates.

“I don’t remember.”

Dream hums, stepping around the curly haired male. Karl shifts uneasily, picking at a hangnail on his thumb. The slight pain shooting up his thumb keeps him grounded. 

“Is that so?” Dream pauses behind Karl, head leaning towards Karl’s ear. Karl tenses at his hot breath hitting the side of his face. The hair on his neck rises in alarm. Dream murmurs into his ear, voice so low that Karl could barely hear what he said, “What do you remember?” 

Karl’s breath hitches. He squeezes his eyes shut, clenching his fingers into a fist, digging his nails into his palms. 

What does he remember? 

Dream pulls back, continuing his slow pace to circle Karl. He hums a low melody, one that sounds oddly familiar. He’s heard it before, he knows it. 

Their eyes meet again; violet and green. Karl watches as his eyes paint a young man—quiet, calm. He has shaggy dirty blond hair that falls over his freckled face. His lips are neutral, kind, yet there’s an underlying emotion under it that Karl can’t place. Unsettling is one word for it. He wears a cream colored poet shirt and brown trousers. He has a necklace with that _damn smile_ on it. 

“Cornelius,” Karl breathes without really thinking about what he said, blinking away the vision— _memory?_ Dream halts his movements, his eyebrows raised in amusement. His lips are etched up into a sinister smile, eyes darkening as they stare deeply into Karl’s. 

Karl’s eyes widen as he steps back, mouth hung open in shock. 

_No, no, no…_

“Sam!” Karl shouts, panicked as Dream takes a quick step forward. “Sam- Sam, I want to leave!” 

Dream laughs as Karl is carried away to Sam on the floating platform. He laughs, and laughs, and _laughs._ It’s a laugh that ends up with him on his knees, clutching his stomach from the pain. It’s ugly, and _evil._

Karl dares to look back one last time. Dream’s eyes are nothing like he’s seen before; it scares him. Karl is visibly shaking, his heart is pounding so hard he can feel it in his ears and fingertips. 

As they’re walking through the empty hall, Sam casts a glance at Karl. He has a brow raised at the brunet’s scared and skittish demeanor. He flinches at the slightest sound, violet eyes darting around wildly as if something was going to creep up on him. 

“Did something happen?” Sam asks, voice laced with slight concern. 

This time, Karl doesn’t respond. He keeps his head facing forward, picking at that same hangnail with much more force. He feels a bead of blood drip down his thumb, but he doesn’t care. 

He just wants out.

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/skiggswastaken)


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